Evaporator plate for ice cube making apparatus

Abstract

An ice cube making machine having an evaporator plate on which ice is to be made in a vertical plane, the plate having a cube forming lattice structure on one side thereof and an evaporator coil with the inlet and outlet for fluid refrigerant being disposed to freeze water evenly in said lattice structure and to enhance the thawing of the cubes for renewal therefrom.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is: 
     
       1. An evaporator plate for a cube ice making machine comprising a flat rectangular base member having a refrigerant coil in good heat transfer relation to one side thereof and a lattice structure providing ice cube molds on the other side thereof, said coil being formed in a serpentine configuration with a plurality of straight legs disposed in parallel relation with interconnecting radiused portions, said coil being continuous and having one of said legs formed with an input end to receive a low pressure liquid refrigerant and another of said legs formed with an output end from which a super-heated gas/refrigerant is discharged, said one leg extending the length of one edge of said base member and said another leg being disposed extending across the middle portion of said base member, the legs of said coil intermediate the ends of said coil being disposed adjacent to said another leg and at the edge of said base member opposite to said one edge, means for delivering hot gas to said coil for harvesting ice formed on said lattice structure, said hot gas being fed to said coil at said input end and removed at said output end whereby a slab of ice formed on said plate will be melted from said lattice structure at the upper and lower edges prior to melting adjacent said another leg, mechanical means for harvesting said slab of ice including a reciprocable probe mounted on one side of said base member to engage said slab of ice and displace it from said lattice structure. 
     
     
       2. The evaporator plate of claim 1 wherein said coil is disposed with the first half of said coil on one half of said base member with said refrigerant moving through said straight legs toward the middle of said base member and the second half of said coil disposed on the other half of said base member with said refrigerant moving from the opposite toward the middle. 
     
     
       3. The evaporator plate of claim 1 wherein said opening is positioned along said another leg whereby said probe engages said slab in the area which is the last to be melted from said lattice during harvesting. 
     
     
       4. An evaporator plate for an ice cube making machine comprising a flat plate member having a refrigerant coil secured in good heat transfer relation to one side thereof and a cube forming structure on the other side thereof, said coil having an input end to receive low pressure liquid and an output end from which a super-heated gas/refrigerant is discharged, said coil being disposed with the output end positioned adjacent the middle portion of the coil whereby the cooling effect on said plate is relatively uniform and the cubes formed in said lattice structure are substantially equal in size, the input end of said coil extending along one edge of said plate member and an intermediate portion of said coil extending along an opposite edge of said plate member remote from said one edge, means for mounting said plate member in a vertical position to form ice cubes in a slab disposed in a vertical plane, means for delivering hot gas to said coil for harvesting said slab of ice from said plate with said gas entering said input end and exiting said coil from said output end, said gas melting said slab from said plate on the lower and upper portions first and along the horizontal area extending across the middle of said plate relatively later, whereby melting of said slab of ice is minimized during harvesting, mechanical means for displacing said slab of ice with respect to said evaporator plate, said mechanical means comprising a probe mounted for reciprocable movement through an opening formed in said plate member to engage and force said slab of ice away from said plate member. 
     
     
       5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said opening in said plate member is disposed near the geometric center of said plate member in said horizontal area.